Yusuf's Gift

[netmastan]

By A'isha Al-Nahar
CatStevens.com
August 9th, 2000
Courtesy of A'isha Al-Nahar (Aun1)

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Once in our lives someone comes along who profoundly influences us and changes our lives forever. Sometimes this person is a family member or a friend. Sometimes this person is a complete stranger who we have never met. This stranger connects with us on a mystical level that cannot be measured within the realms of time and space. This soul crosses miles of ocean and land and connects with us, changes us and helps us become the people we are today. One of these people entered my life. His name is Yusuf Islam (Bio).

The Story and The Gift

It was a hot summer's day in July, 1985, the kind of day that makes you want to stay in doors under the air conditioner. In Middle Georgia in the summer it is so sweltering hot that you could prepare an eight course meal on the sidewalk in front of your house. On this particular day my friend, Loretta, came by my house and wondered if I might like to walk to the nearby mall to get out of the house and goof around. Since it was a day where the kids I normally babysat were not there, I welcomed the excursion to the mall. We had no car, being we had no money, but still wanted to make the hot walk just the same.

I gathered my three year old daughter together and we set off on this hot two mile walk to the mall. When we arrived there we made our way to the Orange Julius stand to get a cold drink before we hit the record store. The record store was located at the other end of the mall, but with our cold drinks and the air conditioning being so comfortable, we did not mind our walk.

We finally arrived at Starship records and I made my usual B-line to the Cat Stevens (Bio) section to dream. Although I had every album that Cat had released, I still dreamed of finding a new release from the man who I had adored for years. I didn't expect to find anything and prepared myself for the disappointment of seeing nothing new.

I never knew where Cat Stevens had disappeared to. I had heard rumors about him, some far-fetched, but never actually knew what happened to him. I approached the Rock section and saw that wonderful name, Cat Stevens on the plastic tab sticking up above the albums. Although, I never found any new Cat items, I still enjoyed looking at those albums in their new plastic wrappers and that gorgeous face on the covers of some of them.

This time I started browsing through the 'Cat' albums and then it caught my eye, A NEW ONE. It was an album called "Footsteps in the Dark (Album)" and had a very beautiful cover displaying the moon over piano keys. I was so excited that I wanted to jump up and down and scream. I looked at the cover of this gem and was so excited that I was shaking. I was eager to read everything that was written on its cover.

I turned over the album and there was a small set of liner notes briefly explaining where Cat was and about his life and family. Of course, at first, reading that he had married was disappointing. I had always figured that I would be his wife. But reality set in and realising that Cat had married and had three daughters delighted me. I knew that he had finally found someone to share his life with and got his dream of having children.

I started to read a letter that Cat had written on the back of this album and discovered that Cat was letting his fans know what had become of him and was sharing his experience with us. I continued reading the letter and came to the understanding that Cat had found his peace and enlightenment. I stood there in the record store and was overcome with emotion. There I stood in the middle of this record store holding an album in my hands and tears streaming down my checks. I kept saying, "He found peace, he found peace." The tears I was crying were tears of joy for the man who I knew had been searching for many years. I continued reading the letter and discovered that Cat had embraced Islam. I had heard of Islam and liked the Muslims that used to be my neighbors in high school, but didn't have any idea what the religion was. At first when I started reading the letter, I thought that Cat had gotten 'saved' and became a Christian. I was thrilled because I was a Christian at that time although I had become disillusioned with Christianity to a point. I thought that he had become a Christian because of the similarities between Islam and Christianity. I didn't know that we worshiped the same Creator and followed the same path. I thought Islam worshiped a guy named 'Muhammad', went to a place called Mecca, and prayed facing the East on prayer rugs. This totally blew me away. I thought to myself, "This religion that Cat is talking about seems so beautiful, I wish I could find out more about it".

Loretta and I decided to go to get food and I thought to myself, "When I get money, I will by the album". We left the record store and all I could think about was the letter. I went home and carried on with my life as I always had, but the letter stuck in my thoughts much of the time.

I went later that summer and bought the tape "Footsteps in the Dark" because I didn't have a turntable and brought it home. Of course, I listened to the gem over and over again. I loved the three unreleased songs on it and couldn't get enough of it. I wondered about Islam but was mostly wrapped up in Cat Stevens and also with trying to pronounce his new name, Yusuf Islam.

In 1987, two years after first reading the letter from the "Footsteps" album, my curiosity could no longer be stifled. I got me a pen and paper and wrote to the address that Yusuf included on the album. I was beginning, to take the journey 'on the road to find out'. I wrote to a place called 'The Islamic Society of North America', and this was a major step in what would lead to a road to peace and enlightenment.

I started going to the public library and would read everything they had on Islam. I even borrowed a translation of 'The Qur'an' and started reading about Islam. A couple of weeks later a package arrived in the mail from a man named Steve Johnson. He wrote me a touching letter and gave me Yusuf's address and told me that Yusuf would be delighted to hear from me. I didn't write to Yusuf at that time, because events happened in my life that sidetracked me for a long time.

My interest in Islam, did not set well with my husband, Joey. He was convinced that Muslims worshiped rocks and were going to Hell and that I was sinning. This caused a big fight between us and me stomping out the door telling him to 'drop dead'. Unfortunately, our words can sometimes come true. Five days later, Joey was accidently shot in the heart and died instantly. I felt much guilt for many years over my harsh words and also believed that God had taken him from me because I had left Christianity. You have to realize that I was overcome with grief and wasn't thinking in my right mind. Grief plays tricks on people and can screw up their heads.

Seven years later, in 1991, I was living in my own house and was in a relationship with an older man who had a drinking problem. I thought I was happy. Heck, I had my own home, a happy nine-year old daughter and a man I thought loved me. I was having a good time, playing my music, writing songs and getting high. You would think that I would have thought I had it made in the shade. But things aren't always as they appear. I became very depressed. I was so depressed that I would lay around the house and not talk to anyone. This depression continued for six weeks straight. I could not figure it out but it would not go away. One day I was extremely blue and this voice inside my head started saying, "Get out that Qur'an." I ignored the voice, but it kept on saying, "Go to the closet and get out that Qur'an."

After a couple of days listening to the voice in my head, I went into my spare room and dug through my books and found my copy of the Qur'an and the Islamic literature that Steve had sent to me. I started reading the Qur'an in September. I felt happy and peaceful and the depression ceased. I began to realize what I was supposed to do. I knew that it was destiny for me to become a Muslim.

For the years between my husband's death and my ultimate 'reversion' to Islam, I had been periodically writing long soul-spilling letters to Yusuf Islam. He had even written me back on one occasion and his secretary, Sarah, would relay messages between us. In October of 1991, I officially embraced Islam. I, of course, wrote to Yusuf to tell him about my reversion. (Muslims who convert to Islam say reversion because we believe that every living creature on Earth is born Muslim and we revert back to this when we accept the religion.) I drew a pencil sketch of mountains over water, with verses of the Qur'an on it, framed it, sent it to London. It cost me a small fortune to ship it, but to me it was worth it. Yusuf had given me a priceless gift and I wanted to say 'thank you' to him. His secretary sent me some Islamic books that she and Yusuf had written and I was thrilled. These books were a great aid in my learning and I treasure them.

After embracing Islam, I started living my life as a Muslim. In June of 1992, I married my current husband. We now have a four-year old daughter and are now living in Ohio. Since the day I read that letter in the record store, my life has drastically changed for the better. I have traveled to foreign countries, met people from many cultures, grown into a better person, have peace, and am happy.

It is amazing how the precious words of Yusuf Islam changed my entire life. He gave me that priceless gift and I will always thank him for sharing his words with us. I have met other people who have walked down a similar road as I have and were given the same gift by Yusuf. May Allah (swt) send him endless rewards for all that he has given to us.

Peace,
A'isha Alnahar
August 8, 2000
From : pop singer Cat Stevens
http://www.catstevens.com/

Again sorry for the long post.But i couldn't help..
May Allaah show us the right path.
netmastan

[Cadcam]

assalamualaikum

SUBHANALLAHHH!!!
nice one
I had to look at this thread coz my favvvv name is YUSUF..hhhehe
wassalam

[yasmin]

Wow what a story!!!

I've heard of this Cat Stevens bloke but didn't what he did or anything. Shouldn't the website be called Yusuf Islam .com? But I suppose Aisha would never have found out about Islam if she didn't like his music so much.

I'm quite surprised how this letter could change someone so profoundly. It has never happened to me b4 in my life. A true life changing experience but I suppose that I'm still pretty young for that.

[Star]

Yasmin,

Cat Stevens was quite a massive popstar in the UK in the 70s...

Of his hits - the ones you might recognise are Father and Son - which was covered by Boyzone, and also It's a Wide World - covered by Maxi Priest....